The Tennessee, led by Buchanan, heads toward Farragut's flagship

FORT MORGAN, Alabama -- The Tennessee, which stood under Fort Morgan's guns just four miles from the Union fleet, left its comfort and headed toward the enemy.

In the book "Mobile Bay and the Mobile Campaign" by Chester G. Hearn, Admiral Franklin Buchanan said the following about his decision:

"Having the example before me of the blowing up of the Merrimac in the James River by our own officers, without a fight, and by being caught in such a trap, I determined, by an unexpected dash into the fleet, to attack and do it all the damage in my power..."

Buchanan believed he could issue a surprise attack as he aimed the Tennessee for the Hartford, however the Yankees had moved forward in anticipation.

A July 1964 article in the 'Sunday Magazine' Press-Register took a look at the book "The Confederate Soldier in the Civil War," which is Admiral Buchanan's account of the war. In it, Buchanan says, "When they (the Union ships) were discovered standing into the channel, signal was made to the Mobile squadron, under my command, consisting of the wooden gunboats Morgan and Gaines, each carrying 6 guns, and Selma 4, to 'follow my motions' in the ram Tennessee, of 6 guns; in all 22 guns and 470 men. All were soon under way and stood toward the enemy in a line abreast."

With Buchanan's eyes on the Hartford, the Union's Monongahela crashed into the Tennessee. The Union ship's Commander James Hooker Strong backed off and assessed the ship's damage. The Tennessee had fired two shells into the enemy's bow just before impact. Projectiles flew back and forth until the Monongahela backed off, allowing for the Lackawanna to strike the ram. The Lackawanna's Captain Marchand wrote, "Fortunately our yards and topmasts were down, otherwise they, in all probability, would have been carried away by the concussion, which caused the ship to rebound and the stern of the Tennessee to recede."